Napoli ramp up interest in Marseille winger

With just eight days remaining before the transfer window closes, Napoli face a race against time to add to their squad ahead of what is set to be a very demanding next few months for Maurizio Sarri’s squad.

The Partenopei’s top priority is to sign a new winger in order to have a quality alternative to Lorenzo Insigne and José Callejón. Simone Verdi’s refusal to join from Bologna has complicated the plans of Aurelio De Laurentiis and Cristiano Giuntoli, forcing them to switch their attention to other targets.

Gerard Deulofeu, Matteo Politano, Amin Younes (arriving in June) and Lucas Moura have all been looked at, but so far no deal has materialised for any of them. However, according to Corriere dello Sport, a new idea has come to the fore and so French attacker Florian Thauvin is now considered a realistic option.

The former Newcastle United flop is thriving this season under the tutelage of ex-Roma coach Rudi Garcia, with ten goals and nine assists to his name already. However, convincing Marseille to sell their star man at this stage of the season will be no easy task. The 24-year-old is valued at over €35 million, but the Ligue 1 giants intend to hold on to him until the summer when they hope a bidding war will raise his price tag even higher.